Living in UK : The Basics

Moving to a new country can be quite exciting but confusing as well. Adapting to the change in the environment, understanding how people live their life here will make you feel less of an outsider. Of course you don't have to follow their routine or live life according to their rules but if you plan to work and live amongst them you must be oriented accordingly. Read on to find out more about basics of living in UK.

Life in the UK can be quite fast paced depending on where you live especially if it's London but other cities aren't.

An Average Day

A typical week day of the average UK person starts around 7-7.30am with breakfast being an important meal of the day. The traditional English breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausages, fried toast mushrooms usually ends up to a slice of toast, cereal or eggs given that people are usually running late . Commute to work is quite frustrating and long due to traffic and congestion. At work guaranteed 20-30 minutes lunch time is allowed for everyone even doctors. For lunch it's usually sandwiches. Avg. work hours are the the usual 9am - 5pm. Dinner is early between 6.30—8.00. For Dinner it's usually "meat and two veg" with gravy made from meat. Bedtime is somewhere around 10pm-11pm, and the cycle continues. But come weekend, it's taken very seriously and often plan are made weeks ahead to make sure they make the most of their holidays. People in UK are known to take exercise more and take out more time for leisure activities then compared to the Americans.

Holidays in UK

New Year's Day: 1 January
Good Friday: March
Easter Monday: April
Early May bank holiday: May
Spring bank holiday: May
Summer bank holiday: August
Christmas Day:  25 December
Boxing Day: 26 December

People in UK

People in UK are famous for some of their very characteristic traits which I have definitely noticed

• Their love for tea (though it no where as good as the typical Asian tea 'chai' but they are always up for a "Cuppa"
• Apologizing automatically whether it's their mistake or not they "Sorry" comes to them easily and quickly and in the most apologetic manner. A quality of a trait to have
• Switching to summer clothes at the first sight of sun. Well you can't blame them since they don't get enough sunshine. Though this is my first summer here it's the one of the hottest summer ever just my luck I guess.
• Speaking of weather. Don't know how to start a conversation? Simple, just start with "Nice weather today isn't it?" or "The weather this week has been terrible!" and before you know a good going conversation of weather will be on its way. They simply love to talk about weather



• Roasting crisp in hot weather. While I am out there trying to avoid sunburn they are enjoying a good tan
• Insisting the other person to go through the door first. Who says people here are rude?
• Drinking: Oh boy weekend!? Let's binge drink. If you work in a hospital you might agree with me
• Biscuits : Now you can't go wrong with them, pick any up especially short breads and I bet you will love them and so do all the Britishers.
• Feeling cold, want to turn up the heater? Nah will put on extra layer of clothing, Thank you. Heating is quite expensive and people are smart enough not to have their bills through the roof
• Forming queues : It amazes me at times how quickly and efficiently its done and nobody complains!
• Being Honked at : If you want to really piss them off, all you need to do is Honk at them from behind and boy they get angry. (Tried and tested)

You might find people following the idiom "having a stiff upper lip" (not revealing emotion in event of adversity or even in tragedy) but that doesn't mean they are unfriendly or non inviting its the way they are.  So you may see people generally smiling or strangers exchanging friendly gestures but in some areas or cities you will meet the stereotypes portrayed in the media.

Grocery Shopping

It's essential to shop for groceries, there are multiple options to choose from I generally felt that I could purchase almost anything in the price range I wanted. There are lots of big brands which have super stores, supermarket and express stores catering to your need. Here I will list down major ones and divide them into £-£££

( £ ) This German brand store is a fast growing company providing with quality groceries bakery items along with other everyday household items at astonishingly cheap rates making it one of the cheapest stores in UK

( £ ) Again a German brand in competition with Aldi fighting for the best and cheapest store of UK. Turns out Lidl has hands down the best bakery in UK

( ££ ) My personal favorite. ASDA is part off the biggest 4 brands the rule over the UK. Hands down the best experience, slightly expensive than Lidl and Aldi but you will find everything you need. It also has Halal section in it, if it's based in an area where there are lots of Muslims. It has multiple stores throughout UK. It's range of clothing named George has one of of the cheapest and high quality fabrics. The only downside is they don't have any membership or loyalty card options

 ( ££ )Tesco is also part of the big 4. Tesco provides a complete shopping experience just like ASDA along with Halal options. It has loads of superstores and express stores spread all over UK

 ( ££-£££ ) 3rd of the big 4 competing to attract customers and with recent announcements, ASDA and Sainsbury will be merging soon but keeping their brand identity. So expect prices to go down further.

( ££-£££ ) 4th of the big 4, haven't had much of a experience with it but customers are quite satisfied with it and loyal to it.

Certain other smaller brands are available too, it basically depends on your convenience, preference. Lots of options to explore.

Homeware and Electronics

Personalizing your home requires lots of effort and for starters requires the basic furniture to crockery to fancy 4K TVs. Again there's lots to offer by major outlets you can visit them, compare prices and choose what you need. The best of the best have been mentioned here in no particular order

This world wide famous brand is known for its DIY homeware you can find anything here at good prices too. You can can shop online as well. The downside it's not your to go store regular housewares because the outlets are huge so they require lots of space and are usually at some distance.

Starting from Oxford Street this store steadily grew into a high end departmental store covering the needs of the people in UK, Ireland and Australia. You can purchase almost everything you will ever need but with the increase in online buying the departmental store is going through crises and you may benefit with likely drop in prices on future

Another home grown brand that turned big. Offering and catering to all your household needs at reasonable prices is another option for you. Again this store has been losing its market.

 One of the top UK store operating under Sainsbury. It's prime example of on-line shopping, although it has both physical and virtual stores, it's the shopping experience what makes it come out on top. Head within any of its store inside Sainsbury or separate you will find multiple kiosk showing off their e catalog of almost every thing you can think of. Order there and then and receive same day delivery as quick as 6 hrs alternatively you can order online and collect on the store or get delivered. Downside to this is you will be not be able to physically see the item before purchase.

This one is of my favorite places. It's the go to store for all your regular house hold items, beddings, bathroom accessories, lighting, accessories and kitchen ware. Extremely well priced and located probably around your neighborhood.

Another huge DIY store giving IKEA run for its money. It's got everything to build up a house from scratch. A paradise for DIY lovers

And of course all the local stores and online used stuff. Your options are all open. The biggest and baddest of them all who has completely taken over the market is Amazon, which according to its title provides everything from A to Z with hassle free deliveries and returns.

Weather

Unpredictable at its best one minute it could be raining the next minute the sun would be out. Though its rarely sunny, this has been one of the hottest summers so far. And the winter turned out be gruesome with snow which is a rare sight in the most parts of England. That being said, most of the days are gloomy, cloudy, cold and wet so an umbrella is a necessity though I barely use one.



And there's lots more to do and learn about, which you tend to gradually as you start settling in. First few months can be difficult but once you have your own place (read how to rent your very own accommodation in the UK, here) and start settling in, have a bank account open with money flowing in (read here), you will be a lot more relaxed and thus able to fully enjoy and explore the UK

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